Long-time trustees with Rainbow District School Board have been honoured provincially for outstanding service to public education.
Doreen Dewar received the prestigious Dr. Harry Paiken Award of Merit from the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, while Judy Hunda received the President’s Award for 25 years of service.
Both awards were presented at the OPSBA Annual General Meeting held in Collingwood on June 10.
Board Chair Bob Clement commended Dewar and Hunda.
“Rainbow District School Board is fortunate to have experienced trustees who are dedicated to student achievement and well-being,” he said. “I congratulate Trustees Dewar and Hunda for their exemplary service to students in Rainbow Schools. They are both champions for children and these honours are well deserved.”
Dewar once told a provincial standing committee on public education: “My goal in life is to become notoriously protective of education for kids.”
In her 35 years as a public school board trustee in Sudbury, she has fulfilled that goal, a press release said. She continues to be a proud voice for public education and a strong advocate for children.
“Any success is entirely due to my many colleagues on the board as well as the staff of both the Rainbow District School Board and the Sudbury Board of Education. I am truly humbled,” said Dewar.
“As trustees, we are so fortunate to be part of shaping the future. We always value our partners in education. We know that while academics are our priority, physical, social and emotional growth are just as important.”
Dewar was a trustee with the former Sudbury Board of Education for nine years and has been a Rainbow District School Board trustee for 26 years. She has served as vice-chair of the board for seven terms and chair of the board for 14 terms, including 10 consecutively.
Throughout her tenure as a trustee, Dewar has received other awards in recognition of her contribution to public education the OPSBA Bernadine Yackman Award, the Thorneloe University Mitre and The President’s Award for 25 years of service. Dewar received a 35-year certificate and pin at the Rainbow District School Board 2023 Awards Ceremony.
“Over the years, Doreen has witnessed many changes in education and has actively engaged in establishing progressive policies for the Rainbow Board and its schools,” said trustee Judy Kosmerly, who nominated Dewar for the provincial honour, in a news release. She has kept the Board of Trustees focused on their governance role, and has ensured decisions are in the best interests of students.”
Hunda has been extensively involved in the educational community locally and provincially. Elected in 1997, she has been a trustee since the creation of Rainbow District School Board. She was chair of the board in 2008 and 2009. She served as vice-chair of the board from 2004 to 2008. Hunda received a 25-year certificate and pin at the Rainbow District School Board 2022 Awards Ceremony. She is a past member of the board of directors of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association.
“We do not become trustees for awards and accolades, but it is truly wonderful to be acknowledged, especially by my peers, for my many years of service to public education and students,” Hunda said in a news release, addingpi
that her spirit continues to be uplifted when she witnesses the world through the eyes of children.
